REI’s New Distribution Center: How We Get Your Gear To You

We recently opened our newest distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona, that will support more than 40 percent of the co-op’s sales. It’s one of the most sustainable distribution centers in the world, producing all of its own energy and taking an innovative approach to water conservation. So next time you receive your gear, know that we are thoughtful about processing and shipping it in the most sustainable, efficient way.

Back in 1938, REI founders Lloyd and Mary Anderson began selling outdoor gear at a gas station in Seattle. Since then, the co-op has grown into a community of more than 6 million members with nearly 150 stores throughout the country. With this growth, we have continued to face new challenges in getting gear to our stores, members and customers while reducing our environmental impacts.

As a co-op focused on the outdoors, it’s no surprise that we think long-term about how to responsibly operate our business. When we identified the need for a third distribution center—which opened this past summer—we approached it as an opportunity to improve energy efficiency, limit our impact on natural resources and make a more comfortable workplace for our employees.

We began this project 18 months ago by challenging our partners to think creatively about how to achieve our ambitious goal of building one of the world’s most sustainable distribution centers, and in the heat of the desert. Given the size of the facility and around-the-clock operations, distribution centers typically use massive amounts of energy.

We took a different approach and committed to making sure the building produced all of its own energy. This thinking resulted in a 280,000-square-foot rooftop solar array that produces 2.2 megawatts of electricity—enough to power the entire facility and making the building Net Zero Energy. We are also pursuing LEED Platinum, the highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, which looks at how buildings are planned, constructed, maintained and operated.

In addition to energy consumption, water conservation was also an important consideration throughout the design and construction process—even more important since the building is located in the Arizona desert. We found a variety of ways to save water on-site, including a non-evaporative cooling system that keeps the building at a consistent temperature from floor to ceiling while saving millions of gallons of water annually.

But we wanted to do more to offset the facility’s water footprint, so we invested in a river restoration project in the Verde Valley, high in the Phoenix watershed. Thanks to the work of Bonneville Environmental Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, this project restores river habitat, modernizes irrigation infrastructure, limits development and new water extraction in critical areas, funds stewardship projects and enhances recreational access along the river.

We know that distribution center operations are not top of mind for many customers, and most companies focus on more public efforts, such as sustainable products and storefronts—which we do as well. But we focus on sustainability in all aspects of our business and feel that distribution centers are often a missed opportunity to massively decrease environmental impacts.

The 2.2 megawatt solar array produces enough energy to power the entire facility. REI determined the size of the array through early energy modeling, which ensured it would power all operations throughout the building while saving roof space for skylights to be strategically placed over workstations.

REI partnered with KNAPP and DMW&H to integrate technologies into an innovative workstation, allowing one person to process items eight times faster than the typical distribution center.

A trail system surrounds the building so that employees can enjoy the botanical garden, which features native plants and drip irrigation to minimize water consumption.

The co-op built this facility with employees in mind by offering on-site perks including a gym, physical therapist, café, botanical garden, bike storage and air conditioning to beat the Arizona heat.

Cool what you’ve done with the physical building and it’s operation. I wonder, is the facility accessible for your employees via public transit, biking and other modes besides personal vehicles–in other words, in siting the facility, did you consider how many vehicle miles you’d generate?

Our Goodyear, Arizona, distribution center does offer tours of the facility. Tours take place Monday through Friday, and last 1–2 hours. To set up a visit, please reach out to Bob Bruce at rbruce@rei.com

Hi there,
I am reaching out because I had signed up some of my coworkers for the Wilderness First Aid class with REI at the Arizona Goodyear location. The class was this past weekend on March 16th and 17th. On e of my coworkers had a family emergency and was not going to be able to attend so I wanted to have him switched to the upcoming class on April 22nd/ 23rd. I reached out last Thursday before the class asking to switch. I have still not received any reply and have left voicemails on the contact number that were provided with the confirmation email for the class as well as emailed the contact email to with no reply. I also tried calling the number of the Goodyear location and was put on hold for over an hour with no one picking up or responding to me. Can someone please get back to me?

I’m from the Seattle area (but now live in Surprise) and have shopped at REI for many years. I find it odd that you don’t have a store in Surprise, AZ, yet you have a large distribution center close by. Will a store ever be built in the area?